Veterans Are Standing Up To Trump Over Marijuana

Donald Trump loves to claim he’s a big supporter of veterans, but now a large group of veterans are standing up to him, because they don’t like how his administration is handling marijuana.

As we’ve reported before, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is on a crusade against marijuana legalization, and Vice President Mike Pence is known for opposing legalization and for implementing draconian punishments for cannabis users in Indiana.

In light of this, many veterans are trying to fight the Trump administration to make sure legalization efforts don’t get halted. From the Los Angeles Times:

“Frustrated by federal laws restricting their access to a drug many already rely on to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and opioid addiction, veterans have become an influential lobbying force in the marijuana debate after sitting on the sidelines for years.

The 2-million-member American Legion this spring got involved in a big way by launching a campaign to reduce marijuana restrictions, which it says hurt veterans and may aggravate a suicide epidemic.”

As someone who’s been reporting on veterans fighting for marijuana legalization for years, I can tell you veterans have not been sitting on the sidelines, as the Los Angeles Times claims here. However, this report does accurately highlight how efforts have been ramped up since Trump took office. If Trump really loves veterans so much, which is questionable (link, link, link, link), he should help legalization efforts.